for my home/pro studio- besides adding music what would you suggest?

[kurtr2]

hi everyone. first off- thanks for a wonderful forum that i have read for a long time and learned much from.


allow me to submit to you my studio and ask what would you suggest for a well rounded composing/tracking/mixing setup. my main instruments are guitar and piano, bass and some drums.

my goal: high quality sound- i know what im doing- but dont have the highest slutty budget- had to struggle for everything i have (and pay close attention to sleeper gear and thread like with a cheapness, etc- excellent info)

the music is jazz/modern composition/electronica elements maybe/whatever- everything soulfull. warm sound- good production values- from kind of blue to steely dan- know what im saying?

so the question is- what would you add/subtract keeping in mind just a few thousand here and there from time to time to spend...

thanks for all the gearslutz posts- learned alot.

heres what i have in a good tracking/mixing room and what i am thinking of buying. i know this is nuts and all but i must confess besides being a musician i am obsessed with getting to the point where i can make a really great studio to record and compose in (i've already recorded a record in my home studio released on Verve records "Heartcore" and i didnt have nearly anything then so i need to upgrade for "Heartcore II"). so please any comments about what im thinking of buying and what i have are solicited gratefully and appreciated for your time and consideration.
thanks!!!
kurt rosenwinkel (www.kurtrosenwinkel.com)

heres what i have and what im thinking of getting:

Mics:

Royer r121 x2
Soundeluxe U195x2


THINKING OF BUYING (TOB):
AEA R88 (for piano, guitar, OH)
Schoeps cmc-5 (for Piano, OH, Room Mics)
Sennheiser 421 x2 (For Drums)
Beyer M88x2 (for Guitar)

Mic Pres:
UA 2-610
Tab/Funkenwerk V78M x2

THINKING OF BUYING:
API 3124
Seventh Circle Audio
Chandler TG-2

DIGITAL:
Apogee Rosetta 800
Apogee DA-16x

COMPUTER:
G5 2.7ghz, 8 gig RAM
RME MADI
RME ADI-686
MOTU 2408 MK3 (dont ask)

DP 4.6
Mach Five
URS EQ Plugs
Altiverb
Magma Chassis
UAD-1 x2
BFD+EXP
THINKING OF BUYING:
N.I. Elektric Piano
N.I. FM7
Scarabee Vintage Keys Collection
Sonic Implants Symphonic Strings

P4 2.2ghz 4GB RAM
Gigastudio 3

Compressors:
Tube Tech LCA-2B
Aphex Expressor x2
Aphex Compellor
THINKING OF BUYING:
FMR RNC x2
DBX-LA22
FMR RNLA

Outboard:
Kurzweil Rumour
Roland SRV-330
Roland SDE-330
Effectron 2 x2
Roland Dep-5
Eventide Eclipse

Synthesizers:
Kurzweil PC-88
Korg Triton
Roland Juno-106
Roland XV-5080
Nord Lead 3
Oberhein Matrix1000
Roland SPD-S

Motu midi Express XT x2

Akai MPC-3000

Analog:
Midas Venice 240 Mixing Board
Dangerous 2Bus LT
Adam P-22 Monitors
ProAc Studio 100 Monitors
Hafler P3000 Amp
Equitech 1.5R

THINKING OF BUYING:
Dangerous Meters or Mytek or Logitek
ADAM S-3a Monitors (selling the P-22's)

Control surface:
Radikal SAC-2

THINKING OF BUYING:
Tascam US2400



Thanks for the input!
k

[henryrobinett]

First let me say this - Kurt Rosenwinkle! Cool. I'm a jazz guitarist/composer not too dissimilar in vibe. I like your stuff.

I'm a little confused between the what you're thinking of buying and what you actually have lists. Personal bias, particularly when it comes to jazz, for me, is Millennia. I have 13 channels of the stuff. But I like clean, transparent most of the time. I also own and swear by the Royers and I have an AEA 84. Either that or the Peluso 22 47 works best for me on Tenor. Depends whose playing and how dark his sound is. Too dark the Peluso is great, warm and still brightens it up.

Your mic list looks good to me. Schoeps, Beyer, 421 and the aforementioned ribbons. You know it may be less slutty, but I'd consider the Peluso line. They make a Schoeps type Mic - the CEMC-6 that sounds great to me. I have a pair. Also their 22 251 and 22 47. Worth cheking out. They'd save you some money and do you serious good sound to boot.

Sounds like you know what you're doing and where you're going with it.

I'd like to see you get something more substantial in a compressor, like a UA LA2A. I've never bveen sold on Distressors, probably because I'm a clean/transparent guy. I've used them a lot and can't get passed the sound. Not that LA2A is clean or transparent, but it compliments the Millennias so well.

OK, I mainly wanted to say hi!

[DirkB]

Hi Kurt,

A couple of suggestions:

YES! Upgrade to S3a's, it will be your best purchase ever, trust me . These puppies made the single biggest and best improvement in my studio (after spending about 20K in 2 years on equipment).

The R-121's are perfect for any guitar situation, throw in one or two SM57 (which also sound perfect on snaredrums) and you're set for guitar. Perhaps add a stereo matched pair of SD's, like C42's or KM184's or something similar.

Since you do acoustic music, perhaps a great reverb unit with less colour than the Rumour could be interesting. I personally like the M3000, but the Rev4000 coulb be even more interesting, but is more expensive.

I'd get a Distressor, but I like Distressors on virtually everything. They do work great on clean guitars!

Good luck,
Dirk

[Kestral]

I'm in the process of putting my home studio right now. Here are some of the pieces I have so far

AMS Neve 1073, UA 1176 Rev B, Oberheim Matrix 1000

[rwhitney]

I don't think you NEED anything more than what you have. Maybe save the money and hire the best musicians?

[DirkB]

Originally Posted by rwhitney

I don't think you NEED anything more than what you have. Maybe save the money and hire the best musicians?

nah, you always need more gear .

Greetings,
Dirk

[Bones]

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but Kestral ... I sent you a PM.

[kurtr2]

i dont need to hire any musicians. i am the musician.

[borau]

Hi Kurt!

Have been to a few of your concerts and enjoyd them, nice stuff you've got happening!

Why don't you add to the color you already have pre-wise?

I'm sure a few more channels of V78's would sound really good!

Regarding mics; Gefell M300 might be something you would hear against the CMC5's before deciding.

Why M88's for guitar? why not Beyer M160's, have you heard them? They are very good!

I checked out the US2400 for our B room. 24 banking faders, but with no naming in any display was simply confusing to me. But check it out for yourself.

as for the comps, you need to check them out, it's very dependent on your mixing style... you aren't lacking in digi outboard fx

Also, but this might be heavily bound up in taste, why don't you buy some real instrument, even ukuleles or harmonicas, instead of all those softsynths?
Your playing is real, very real, why not keep it all real?


Your monitor choice sounds good, not my personal choice, but not bad either, and a lot of people are very happy with them.

[kurtr2]

Originally Posted by borau

Hi Kurt!



I checked out the US2400 for our B room. 24 banking faders, but with no naming in any display was simply confusing to me. But check it out for yourself.

thanks for the advice. im going to check out the beyer M160's. The R88's are primarily for piano but would also be good on the guitar- i record my guitar with a C24 when i record at avatar and james farber thought the R88 might be a good choice.

about the US2400- what alternatives did you find instead of this? if only they had track names i know, but i figure i could just do it with masking tape like they still do anyway.

i'm also going to check out the millennium pre's. its so much more cost effective to buy the 8 channel one but i dont have the budget for that. i want to cover bases with the pre's- one API-ish one, one Neve-ish one, one Telefunken type one, and one audiophile clear and detailed transparent one (the millennium i guess).

i wish i could get 2 LA2A's and maybe will someday, but was wondering what stereo substitutes there are. i read about the Eclair LA-LA, that sounds incredible but hes not making them anymore.

oh and about the real instruments thing- yes i have real instruments but not a rhodes and a wurly and all kinds of other things you can get in sample form. mostly will be tracking real instruments but helped by the samples... the samples are also a good writing tool.

thanks! please keep them coming!
k

[skygod]

Originally Posted by kurtr2

i dont need to hire any musicians. i am the musician.

Well hell ... then hire some hookers to liven up the gig!

[Jose Mrochek]

Originally Posted by skygod

Well hell ... then hire some hookers to liven up the gig!

But Pre´s don´t leave the next day : )